#ccz

Masterlist Chapter Two Chapter Three

Pairing: Timari

Rating: T

CW: Mentioned off-screen character death, Tim is slightly OOC

Taglist (open): @aquilavela @ghostdoodlen @jennifer-rose123 @questioning-blob-of-fog

A/N: Happy birthday to my first bae @aquilavela!! I hope you have a wonderful year<3

~~~~~

“Kaalki, voyage! Divide! Spots off!” Marinette stumbled through the portal into her room and froze.

Oops.

“Young lady, what do you think you’re doing?”

She squared her shoulders and faced her parents. “Surprise?”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” “I couldn’t because…magic. But since I’ve just taken Hawkmoth and Mayura’s Miraculous, I guess now I can? Maman, Papa, I’m Ladybug, hero of Paris.” And Grand Guardian, she added silently, crossing her fingers behind her back.

“That’s why you were- oh, sweetie, if we’d known…” Sabine’s arms wrapped around Marinette, Tom engulfing both of them from the side. “I’m so sorry, honey. But you said you have Hawkmoth’s Miraculous?”

“I’ve settled with him,” Mari said grimly. “I don’t need to be Ladybug anymore.”

“He’s…you didn’t…”

“No, no, he’s still alive. I did punch him several times before I fixed everything, though.”

“As you should’ve,” Sabine nodded proudly. “You know we would have understood if…” she trailed off again, the whole situation making her usually chatty mother at a loss for words. “I’m sorry.”

Tikki flew out from behind Marinette’s back. “It’s not your fault for not knowing, Mme. Cheng! The Miraculous magic does a good job of keeping its wielder’s identity hidden. You should be proud of the- your daughter! She is the best Ladybug I’ve ever worked with!”

Tom and Sabine stared at the kwami in shock.

“Maman, Papa, this is Tikki, my kwami. She’s the ladybug kwami of Order, Creation, and Good Luck.”

~~~

After supper, once some of the shock wore off, Tom and Sabine had a good long talk with Marinette about the past five years. Tears and laughter were freely expressed as they were finally able to be openly emotional.

Luckily, school had just ended three days ago, so Marinette didn’t have to get up early for school. Once Nadja Chamack and Ladybug reported that Hawkmoth and Mayura were finally defeated, most of Paris shut down for the week to vent. The weeks after would be soon enough for celebration.

Mari explained the whole situation with Lila, and how Chloe and Kagami were the only friends she had left.

Now that Hawkmoth was gone, she could freely leave Paris. She still loved the city, but it had taken too much from her, and she needed a change. Tom and Sabine agreed.

“We’ll move to America,” they decided. “Your uncle Jagged is from Gotham; he’ll know good universities for you to attend.”

~~~

Jagged was ecstatic to have Mari closer to his home, and eagerly loaded her up with links and places to check out. He offered to write her letters of recommendation for whatever she wanted, confident in her abilities to pursue her dreams in any field.

A realtor friend of his found a shop with living quarters above it, like their current house, in a good part of town and for a decent price. After some renovations, it would be a dream bakery.

She could attend Gotham Academy for her Grade 12 credits and graduate in December, thanks to the way her French requirements translated to American credits.

It didn’t take the Dupain-Chengs long to pack up, sell the bakery, and fly to Gotham, New Jersey. Not a word was said to her former classmates. Only Chloe knew where Mari was, and she’d never tell. After her apology and joining of Mari’s squad, she was mostly ignored by the others. Chloe and Kagami were saddened to see their best friend leave, but knew a new environment would be more conducive to her healing and growth.

At least they had video calls and texts to keep in contact.

~~~

While the renovations were being completed, the Dupain-Cheng family shacked up at Jagged and Penny’s Gotham mansion. It was nowhere near as large as some of Gotham’s Old Elite family’s mansions, such as Wayne Manor or Drake Manor, but it was definitely sufficient for the five of them (six, counting Fang).

Mari had a lot of fun working with Jagged and Penny on his new album, both on songs and styling. She was recording background vocals for Jagged on a bonus track when her parents stopped by the built-in studio.

“Mari, you sound amazing, sweetie! I can’t wait to hear the rest of your songs! We’re going to the bakery to check on the renovations, and then have a lunch date; we should be back around two. We can bake your birthday cake with you then, if you want?”

“Sure, that sounds great. Have fun!” Mari hugged her parents quickly. “Oh, did you get the lemons for the peel garnish?”

“Oh, no, we didn’t. We’ll pick them up on our way home. Love you!”

“I love you too!”

Months later, she was glad those were the last words they shared.

“Marinette, honey?” 

She glanced up at Penny’s approach, flipping through a catalogue for inspiration for Jagged’s new suit. Why was Penny crying?

“There was a bank robbery. Your parents were helping some kids hide when…I’m so sorry, sweetie.”

Marinette didn’t want to believe it, but some intuition in her gut told her that Penny was telling the truth. She collapsed into her arms, weeping.

~~~

The next morning, Mari emerged early from her room. Though she knew she didn’t have to, she explained anyway. “I’m wearing red, not black, because it was their favourite colour on me, especially after they found out I was Ladybug. Penny, do you think it’s possible for me to have died yesterday as well? And then can I become legally emancipated? I was researching last night…this morning, I guess, and I think I’ve got things figured out. I just want you to check them to make sure they’re sound and y-you approve.”

She would not break down, dammit. She had a life figured out and she needed to follow it now.

Jagged started to speak but Penny cut him off with a warning glare. She’s coping…she’s used to bottling up her feelings…she just needs some time.

Penny took the papers and flipped through them. “This looks legally sound; you’ve put time and effort into planning this. You’re a strong, smart, talented young woman; I don’t know why you shouldn’t be emancipated.

“You do know we’d love to adopt you though, right?” Penny asked carefully. “If you’re worried about being a burden, please don’t be.”

“Yes, I know. I appreciate it, but…not now. I can’t.”

“We understand.” Penny patted her shoulder comfortingly. 

Jagged snapped out of his shock. “You’re welcome to stay here as long as you want, Mari! Pen’s right, we’d love to have you as our daughter officially, but in our hearts it doesn’t matter. We’ll sign anything you want.”

“Thanks, Aunt Penny, Uncle Jagged. I do have a few more papers for you to sign.” A thick file, carefully organized and colour-coded, slid along the breakfast table. Penny figured that Mari hadn’t slept all night; not that she could blame her. “Name change, legal emancipation, property transfer…” she flipped through the tabs. “Most of these we can get filed pretty quickly. Jagged’s friends with a judge here so we can probably get some things moving a bit quicker, too.”

“Great. Thank you.” Mari poured a mug of coffee, gulped it down in four sips, and poured another before leaving the room. Penny shivered, but figured if there was ever a time for overlooking something, it was now.

~~~

Thomas Dupain, Sabine Cheng, and Marinette Dupain-Cheng died on July 8th. On July 9th, Mara Stone was born. 

She bought the partially-renovated bakery and had it finished as a studio/sewing shop, with the top level furnished as MDC’s headquarters.

Mara decided that since she had a new name, future, and school, she’d change everything. Chloe, Kagami, and Penny (and sometimes even Jagged) went on shopping trips, helping her furnish her new living and working quarters and replenish her much-picked-over closet.

For a girl’s date, Kagami and Chloe dragged Mara to a spa, where she was transformed.

Her waist-length blue-black hair was chopped down to a stylish bob, the white-tipped ends just brushing her chin. Her bangs had grown out over the past couple months and now simply added layers to frame her face.

Her closet was now more befitting of a fashion designer, departing from her white, pink, and grey, and containing reds, blacks, blues, and a multitude of colours.

Courtesy of Chloe, she could now walk in heels without tripping, which, when heels became a staple in her wardrobe, added several inches to Mara’s stature.

Jagged and Penny often spent weekends driving to the beach for Marinette to practice swimming and attempt to face her fears from Syren. She was soon swimming like a duck and gained a nice tan for the first time in a while, a light spray of freckles blossoming over her cheeks and shoulders.

For the entire summer, Mara stayed away from anything Ladybug-related, beyond feeding the kwami.

But once the school year was just around the corner, she pulled out the Miracle Box from the depths of her closet. 

She wanted to rotate the kwami, so they could each have turns being out of the box. If the Bats let her, she wanted to join them on their patrols sometimes. Maybe they would introduce her to Wonder Woman, who could introduce her to Hippolyta. 

How to get their attention was the question…

Ideas filled her head as she walked home, her arms full of fabric to work on Jagged’s upcoming tour outfits, as well as hers and Penny’s– plus the spiffing up she wanted to achieve for her Gotham Academy uniform.

“Gimme yer money, lady.” A gun was shoved in her face from the dark alley. 

“Sorry, I spent it all on fabric,” she replied cheerily, nodding at the bolts in her arms, preparing to kick the robber’s gun hand.

Robin swooped down, punching the man into incapacitation.

Plan D it is!

“Oh monsieur, merci beaucoup! Vous m'avez sauvé la vie!” Mara gushed, playing the part of helpless, frightened tourist to perfection. Hugging a shocked Robin and air-kissing his cheeks, she slipped a tracker on his utility belt, underneath a compartment, where she hoped it wouldn’t be immediately found. 

“Ma’am, you shouldn’t be out alone so late.”

“Oui, oui,” she nodded shakily. “I was shopping and ah– how to say– lost the time,” she laughed self-deprecatingly, shrugging her shoulders. “Merci beaucoup.”

With a wave, she headed back in the direction she came from, just in case he decided to follow her. Luckily, he seemed to be called somewhere and left after watching her turn the corner to the more populated Diamond District. 

Once she was sure there was no tail on her, she ducked through the streets and back lanes until she reached Miracle Designs, her shop. She didn’t want to be known as MDC here yet. After she graduated and had time to handle large orders, then she planned to announce her identity.

Mara stored her fabrics on their appropriate shelves, locked up, and portalled back to her room in Stone Manor. Why all the Gotham Elite’s houses were [surname] Manor, she wasn’t sure, but she thought they deserved more creativity if they were going to go to the trouble of naming their houses.

After supper, she helped wash the dishes, then told Jagged and Penny she was transforming and going out for a bit.

Pulling out the receiver for her tracker, she saw that its last signal originated from a house just down the road…Wayne Manor.

Ha! She was right! 

She’d suspected the Waynes were the Bats for a while now. They had excuses, alibis, even Bruce Wayne and Batman in the same place at the same time. The public were convinced there was no way the Bats were the Waynes, except for a handful of hard-core conspiracy theorists.

But as someone who had a secret identity and access to magic, she knew how easy it was to create excuses and body doubles. If the Bats were really as smart as they seemed to be, it would be a piece of cake for them to keep their two personas separate. Especially if they had access to alien tech via the Justice League and were filthy rich, with access to elite tech and disguises.

Martian Manhunter was a shapeshifter, was he not? It would be easy enough for him to impersonate either Bruce or Batman, especially since he worked with the Bats. Trixx had done an excellent job of illusioning Marinette and Ladybug talking to each other before- it wasn’t that hard.

“Kaalki, voyage!”

Mare portalled into the Batcave, internally fangirling just a tiny bit. It is real!!!

She stepped around the corner, hands up. “I wish to speak to Batman.”

“How did you get in here?” Gotham’s Dark Knight asked, hand on a Batarang.

“I made a portal. Have you heard about Paris?” “What about it?”

Mare explained the situation from the past five years, ending with her retirement as Ladybug. By then the entire Batclan had gathered and were listening in shock at what had transpired, things they had no idea about.

“We never heard a word about that.”

“So, which…Miraculous are you using, and what’s your vigilante name?”

“The horse. It creates portals. My name is Mare.” Mara had specifically chosen Mare as her name, since it sounded similar to her civilian name and she could brush off an accidental reply to the wrong name.

“Let’s spar and see how you do,” grunted the Bat. “I’m not putting someone in danger under my mantle.”

Violent coughing sounded from the cluster of Bats behind him, which he ignored.

“You pass,” nodded Batman approvingly. 

Yes! All her training paid off!

“You can join us when you wish, as long as you give us a heads up. Oracle will give you a comm so you can connect to our channels so no mishaps occur.”

“Was that you or your Miraculous?” asked Robin. 

“My Miraculous suits protect my body and give me power-ups and magical abilities, but I have to call upon them to use them. My fighting skills are all me, Bird Boy.”

Robin’s jaw dropped. “Bird Boy?!”

Mara wondered if maybe she shouldn’t possibly insult her new coworkers and boss’s son(?) before she’d even officially joined the team, but her worry was allayed a moment later.

“You even screech like one!” cackled Red Hood, pointing at Robin derisively. The Bats quickly descended into anarchy.

It made a little ache appear in Mara’s heart and she absently rubbed at her chest. She missed her old friends and team at times like these, even if they’d outgrown each other long ago. “Voyage.” In the chaos, she escaped to her room, where she cried into a pillow.

~~~

Miracle Designs was decorated in creams and neutrals, with pops of colour dotted around, creating a rainbow for Mara to live and work in. The kwami had had a hand in decorating and deciding what things would look like, and now everyone was happy with their new living situation.

Gotham Academy was a twelve-minute walk from MD; a nice stroll most days. Penny had completed the enrollment signings and picked up her uniforms the week previous; now the only thing that remained was actually attending the academy.

Occupied with creating the Stones’ tour outfits, revamping her own wardrobe and uniforms, and adapting to life on her own, Mara was far too busy to accommodate commissions at that time. MDC’s website asked for her clients’ patience while she settled in North America, much to one Tim Drake-Wayne’s sadness.

~~~

Mara woke bright and early, having had a good sleep for a change. Still, she needed her coffee. On her first week in Gotham, she discovered a lovely coffee shop that sold an amazing blend of energy– Goth Bean, it was called.

She threw on her uniform and headed down the street to Goth Bean. Luckily, it was on her way to the Academy. She requested her usual order, the barista growing ever more concerned that there were two coffee zombies in this city (or as she called them, combies).

Mara Stone strolled into school unnoticed and slid into an empty seat in her first class. Picking a boy to attempt to befriend–he looked like he needed her coffee more than her– she turned to the tired boy she sat beside. “Macaron? I have some gluten-free ones, if you prefer. I’m Mara Stone, by the way.”

She’d cried all the night before as she made the macarons, the first and last year she made them alone before her first day of school.

“Thanks. Tim Drake.” He took one, sniffing it cautiously. “These smell as good as Alfred’s!”

“Is that a compliment?” she asked teasingly, handing him her coffee.

He looked at it, then her, perplexed.

She shrugged. “I drank half, but you look like you need the remainder more. Don’t worry, it’s not poisoned or whatever. Neither are the cookies, by the way.”

“Thanks.” He still looked at her suspiciously, but chugged the coffee anyway. “And yes, that’s a compliment. Alfred makes the best cookies…I think you should have a bake off. I can judge.”

Marinette snickered, ducking her head when the teacher entered the classroom.

Maybe she could make some new friends after all.

She found herself in classes with Tim all day, except for one period. Compared to Europe’s curriculum, the classes were a breeze (though they would’ve been harder if she hadn’t studied English until she was fluent in it.)

She noticed Tim also whipped through the work, completing most of the homework in class; it turned into a friendly competition. Although, noting the glint in Tim’s eye, she second-guessed the friendly part of the competition.

Their teachers noticed, groaned inwardly, and wondered what they’d done to deserve having Tim Drake in their class, together with the new student, and apparently in academic rivalry.

However, the new girl did keep the Wayne kid from taking over the classes somewhat, so maybe this wasn’t all bad…

The first half of their classes were spent doing the work and quietly heckling each other, the second half mocking the curriculum and planning ways to better teach the school (their hypothetical students would hate them unless they were also certified geniuses).

The other students found Mara nice, especially when she distributed cookies; she was also found terrifying, especially since she got along too well with Tim Drake!

The third day of school found the two coffee addicts pairing up to work on a project. 

“I’d offer to go to my house, but my brothers are…extreme. Can we go to yours, or somewhere like a coffee shop, instead?”

“Sure, my place is fine. Leave now?”

“Sounds good.”

They walked to MD, Mari taking him in the back way so that her designs wouldn’t be seen or disturbed. “This is me!” she said brightly, changing from her kitten heels to her house slippers.

“Nice place,” agreed Tim, looking around. “Is that- do you have two Keurigs?”

“Yep, I need them a lot. Do you want some of my magical energy brew? You look a bit sleepy.”

“Sure; what’s in it?”

“Trade secret,” she winked. “Want to spead the work on the table over there while I make it?”

“Sure. What were you thinking for the format?”

“Wow, this is a magic energy boost! I love coffee,” sighed Tim.

“Thanks, I added a little extra just for you.” It’ll help keep you safer.

~~~

“Whatcha lookin’ at, Timmers?” Jason flopped over his chair, twisting unnaturally to see the screen.

“Move, Jason. You’re heavy. I’m looking up a classmate; she’s new and I need to confirm she isn’t a threat.”

“Boring.” Jason left to find Dick to bug.

[ Mara Stone

07/09/2006 (17)

AFAB

College Francois Dupont  Paris, France

GPA: 4.0

Class President (Raised $30,000 USD via various fundraisers and events)

Note: Parents recently deceased; legally emancipated ]

Hmm…interesting.

~~~

“Hey, Mara. You finished the project?” Tim slid into “his” seat beside her, sliding a to-go cup from Goth Bean across the desk.

“Yep, you?” She gulped the cup in twenty seconds, impressing and worrying Tim.

“Are you okay?”

“Of course! Why not? I was just up late working on some art.”

“Uh huh. Late being another definition of all night?”

“Like you’re one to talk,” she sniffed. “I do it all the time; I’m fine.”

“What type of art?” TIm ignored the truth Mara pointed out.

“An outfit for my uncle. I design clothes for him and my aunt sometimes.”

“Oh cool. So you’re into fashion?”

“Yep. I like to design and make clothes. My ex-friend was a model for his dad actually; it’s kind of funny. I guess birds of a feather flock together.”

Tim looked at her, then back at the board. “Who’s your favourite designer? Mine’s MDC– I dunno if you’ve heard of them– they’re still pretty niche, but they put so much attention to detail into their works. I’ve been trying to commission them forever but they haven’t been open in ages,” he moaned into the desk, missing Mara’s double take and choke on her coffee.

“I don’t have a favourite designer currently, but I do agree with you MDC has some nice work.”

“Nice work? I’m offended on behalf of MDC. They put so much work into all their designs!”

Mara sunk into her seat more and more as Tim defended her alter ego to her face.

Tim’s mental file on Mara gained several more notes.

[ Name: Mara Stone

Age: 17

Birthday: 07/09/2006

Birthplace: Paris, France

Notes: 

Caffeine addict (Insomniac)

Legally emancipated

Ex-friend is a model

Ex-friend’s family is into fashion

Has bad blood with exes

Is into fashion

Is indifferent to MDC! ]

It’s about rich countries oppressing and bullying poor!!!!!!!!!

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